The 48V Belt Starter Generator failed on my 2020 Ram 1500 with the 5.7L eTorque system. It caused my truck to stall in the middle of a busy intersection at a red light. The battery drained fast, and I couldn’t move the truck out of the way. I was stuck in a dangerous spot cars were coming around a turn at 45–55 mph, and since my hazard lights started dying too, I had to get out in the rain and wave people away so they wouldn’t hit me. I was honestly afraid for my life. I ended up calling 911 and my insurance to get towed out of there. Before it happened, I saw a battery warning and something about the battery system. A mechanic and a dealer confirmed the issue was the 48V generator. I started calling around for the part, and every dealer I spoke with told me it’s on national backorder. One told me there were over 2,600 people already waiting for it, another said over 3,000 are on the list and no one has any idea when they’ll get them. There are a lot of people dealing with this, and it’s not just an inconvenience it’s dangerous. This part failing leaves people stranded in traffic, sometimes without power or lights. Something needs to be done. A recall would be the right thing.
2020 Ram 1500 electrical complaints
Page 4 of 7: complaints 71 to 100 of 167, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Truck was responding perfectly fine until we stop to watch a movie at the theater last night. After the movie I turn on the truck and notice my power steering was not working and everything else on my truck works fine.
There is a high whining noise followed by a loss of power steering. There is a recall for the EPs system that stopped in 2019; however, 2020 is still using the same part. The recall should be extended to cover all vehicles manufactured using the part numbers associated with this issue. My truck is only at 50k miles, never off-roaded or abused, and maintained religiously by my personal mechanic. I was driving at 78 mph, and the steering locked up due to this issue. This created a hazardous scenario for me. The wheel released moments later, causing me to overcorrect and almost hit another car traveling on the highway in the adjacent lane. This has happened several times over the past week. I have adjusted my driving style until I can afford this VERY costly repair.
Around 86,000 miles, a metallic like noise that one would associate with a worn bearing began within what i determine to be the E-torque MGU. Subtle at first, but you could tell something wasn't the same with the sounds you hear within the engine. Between then and my current 88,800 miles, the metallic sounds has gotten more aggressive, which is logical to assume that might happen if a bearing part is wearing down. Just today, 3/21/2025, an uncomfortable rattle sound and visible vibration of the MGU unit appeared suddenly, making me uncomfortable to drive the vehicle any further without immediate repair for fear of risking un-necessary damage to other critical engine componenets.
The contact owns a 2020 Ram 1500. The contact stated while driving at approximately 60 MPH, the check engine warning light and power train warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle was losing motive power. The contact depressed the accelerator pedal; however, the vehicle failed to respond as needed. The contact stated that the steering wheel was difficult to turn to the left or right, and while pulling off the roadway the vehicle stalled. The contact was unable to restart the vehicle. The contact stated that there were several unknown warning lights illuminated while attempting to restart the vehicle. The contact had the vehicle towed to a dealer. The dealer diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the E-Torque Alternator had failed and needed to be replaced; however, the part to repair the vehicle was on a national backorder. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The failure mileage was 74,553.
Installed trailer brake assist. When we shut the truck off, the brake lights came on and stayed on. Assured by B&B trailer of St Augustine, Fl that it was an issue with the truck and not the part. Other issues have come up- dash lights also come on when turned off, backup camera, remote start, rear defrost, cig lighter plug, rear speakers, and A/C stopped working. Took it to Daytona Dodge on 1/29/25 where they diagnosed the ABS module had failed. They did a system reset and everything was ok until we had to disconnect the battery again- had to install a switch on the battery so lights staying on doesn’t kill the battery. Was told they’d let us know when a new part came in- mid February. Called Ram HQ on 2/17- case # [XXX] and that was no help. Referenced recall 85B and she said it was for a 2d row seating issue and said no ETA on new parts being made. My truck was mfg 2/2020 so how the software update recall doesn’t apply makes no sense. Would it have prevented this, who knows. Then called the dealer up and spoke to Stephen, a svc mgr, who recommended buying a used one ( he said aftermarket but I don’t think there is such a thing) and they would put it in. Got one from eBay and went on [XXX]. After I sat there all morning, I was told they couldn’t override the Vin that’s already on a used part. I have tried calling and emailing the service management team for follow up since then with no response. This is an abomination of customer care and needs attention. I’m hoping these parts are coming soon and that people like me are reimbursed and compensated for time lost and diagnostic fees and parts and labor. Also hoping this recall is expanded/redone to include my truck as there’s no reason it shouldn’t. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Motor Generator Unit is making a whining noise, confirmed by the dealership that it's a bearing within the unit going bad. Per the dealer the MGU is on national indefinite backorder and from my research have been since at least January. If the MGU goes bad it shuts the vehicle down. Can be very dangerous if driving on a busy interstate or highway to suddenly lose power or possibly strand you on a road in bad weather. The backorder for this item seems to be a reoccuring issue.
My 2020 Ram 1500 5.7L e-Torque started making a noise. I then received a "Battery" indicator Light, then received an "Engine" indicator light. I was losing voltage on my battery. The truck is now at the Dealership. The alternator has failed (87k miles). No one has the part. It's been on back order since November 2024. Online research indicates that over 3000 are on back order. I can't even place an order with Mopar (Genuine Ram Parts Supplier). I'm also told that the repair will be $2300 - seems like a lot for an alternator that you can't get that can be replace in about an hour.
I was driving and started hearing a noise, come to find out it is the mgu. I have heard this is a raising problem for a lot of people with this vehicle.
ETorque alternator failure. Driving down the freeway going 70MPH my truck went into complete shut down mode. Luckily I was in the right lane near an exit and was able to get out of a potential bad accident by breaking down on the freeway. Was told by the dealership and Mopar that this was not covered by any extended warranty and that this would be a $2000 fix with an unknown lead time as the part is on global backorder. I have been without a vehicle Since December 27th. was told 5000 of these parts were released on 2/17 but I would not be getting one of those. Still no line of sight to getting this part to fix my truck. Clearly based on this information and other posts this is a major issue with the ETorque Rams and a recall should be put in place and Mopar and Stellantis need to pay for this and fulfill these backorders ASAP. Being without a vehicle going on 2.5 months with no fix in sight is unacceptable.
The contact owns a 2020 Ram 1500. The contact stated that after driving 35-45 MPH, the contact approached a stop sign, and the vehicle stalled. The vehicle failed to restart after pushing the Push-to-Start button. The traction control warning light was illuminated. Additionally, the key fob not recognized message was displayed. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, who determined that the failure was due to the relay module and PCM and referred the contact to the local dealer. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the PCM needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, opened a case, but no additional assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000.
The E to alternator quit rear bearing bad was told that the part was on backorder. It’ll be 68 months for part to come in. We need to have a better description on what bearings they use for the alternator.
Vehicle has stalled twice while approaching stop signs, given me a “service start/stop system” light and makes a loud whining noise. These symptoms are caused by a faulty eTorque generator. The generator is on back order for nearly 5000 other customers experiencing issues with the eTorque system. It is extremely unreliable and will cause accidents if the generator breaks and stalls the truck while in motion. A recall should be issued ASAP and Stellantis should be pressured to fulfill the back orders for those experiencing faulty generators.
My MGU (special name for alternator on Ram E-Torque) went bad. Starts out as grinding noise (no check engine light yet) then shortly after - total failure. Mine has total MGU failure with check engine light on and voltage warning lights to. I have a an appointment on Feb 12 2025 to replace it. They said it’s going to take about 45-90 days for a replacement part. When failure of this part happens the bearings go first, with a possibility of fire risk, in my opinion. Metal grinding on metal creates friction then fire-in my opinion. I researched and talked to some parts managers at ram dealerships. The MGU is a joke. Everyone of them will fail prematurely. Look into this please. There are 5000 MGU units supposedly being produced and shipped out across the country. Those are being shipped out very slowly when available. Nothing fast about these replacements. And lastly, apparently Ram has decided to not make the etorque available on the V8 engines anymore. Only the V6 engines have them.
When slowing down for a stop the transmission will shift into neutral and a warning will pop up on display “shift to park then desired gear” this is happing on my 2020 ram and my sons 2019 ram but the dealer says there is no fix. I checked online and it looks like it’s happening a lot.
I already sent one, and forgot the pictures, pictures included this time
The DPF got so hot in a matter of a few miles (8 minutes driving) it blew a hole in it, and melted all the wiring under the truck, caused the engine to stop, automatically locking all the doors (thank God my child and husband had stopped and were out) before this happened.
Vehicle had a temporary shutoff when doing a rolling stop. The vehicle temporarily lost power when decelerating to the stop sign at 5-10 MPH, then starting again as I began to accelerate. Can not replicate problem again.
The contact owns a 2020 Ram 1500 Laramie. The contact stated that the alternator was making an abnormal whining noise. The noise had increased and become louder over time. The alternator was making an abnormal grinding sound. While his wife was driving at approximately 40 MPH, the vehicle lost voltage, stopped, and shut down. The flashers became inoperable. The essential power mode message was displayed. The check engine light was illuminated. The contact had replaced the battery three months prior. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where an unknown diagnosis was provided. The vehicle was not repaired due to the part being backordered. The manufacturer was contacted, but no additional assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000.
As I was backing out of my drive way my power steering stopped working and has been hard to turn the wheel. I moved the steering wheel up and down and it started working again, and then the next day it went back to no longer working.
My screen is delaminating on a 4 year old vehicle. This should not be happening and was told by my local Dodge dealership that it is not covered under a warranty, nor my extended warranty or a recall. This is poor manufacturing. My vehicle does not sit in direct sunlight.
complete engine failure driving on hiway in 65mpr traffic.. it was a sudden total stop no power no control. after 30 sec. or so i pushed restart button stepped on gas, no error code was shown but restarted. we were almost rearended as busy traffic going that speed. this has happened twice before. after taken to a chrysler dealership on DEC.30 ,2024 and a diagnostic run they could find no issue so we were given no answer. they could not offer any other advice. this situation could be a lethal issue. we could have been in a horrible accident. we would appreciate anything you could do for us. we are affraid to drive this and only 50thousand miles on this truck,which we bought new. We are not mechanics and only can think this is a electrical failure.Please help us. we think another vehickle should be given us. This is a 2020 ECO diesel 30L engine 1500 Dodge Ram 4X4
Brake warning lamp is on for low fluid but fluid is okay. Electronic stability control not functioning.
The contact owns a 2020 Ram 1500. The contact that the vehicle was taken to the dealer due to an electrical failure. The contact stated that the 12-Volt battery had been replaced three times, and the taillight bulbs and front headlight low beam bulbs were replaced several times. The contact stated that when the vehicle was diagnosed by the dealer for the electrical failure, the contact was informed that the front differential seal had failed and was allowing water to leak into the differential, causing the differential to rust. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 107,000.
The contact owns a 2020 Ram 1500. The contact stated while driving approximately 40 MPH, the dashboard and infotainment screen intermittently darkened, and the key fob was inoperable. Additionally, the vehicle failed to shut off as needed. The failure had occurred on several occasions. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was discovered that there was an issue with the electrical system; however, the independent mechanic was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the federal safety agency Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 110,000.
Push start button failed during highway driving and cause the engine shut down /lost power After dealer checked: they said: - the push button stuck - air damp cannot close - CV Axis loose (safety concern) The truck is less than 5 years and only 69K miles. The quality of the truck is not realiable.
Left turn signal does not self cancel at times. This is an intermittent problem.
UNKNOWN GOT IN THE TRUCK, started it and it idled for about one minute, then every single light or electronic started flashing, with the pace of the hazard lights, which the hazard lights stayed on, no matter how many times I pushed the hazard buttons, and the horn was blowing lightly also, about 2 minutes of this , I turned the truck off, came out the next day and it was completely dead, no electricity at all! Charged battery( which is new by the way) and it fired right up! But now it’s extremely sluggish, missing and jerking, the electronics in these are garbage! Looks great but who wants something that is advertised Wi-Fi available!! Ha not on the 2020 models!!! I’ve got the big screen! Call att, they say there’s an issue with ram, so I’m not happy! And this the only vehicle I have to transport my family
While driving from Abilene, tx to Houston, tx on [XXX] my vehicle displayed intermittently several warning message. The first message said idle-stop was unavailable and lasted for about 30 minutes. The second message was displayed in red and stated the electric steering was inoperative and lasted for about 10-30 seconds and it was definitely harder to turn the steering wheel. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
The vehicles, multimedia hub fails in hot weather, not allowing connections from the phone for Maps and CarPlay/androidauto. I have had the media hub replaced two times under warranty and the issue never resolves. Public forums show similar complaints from other drivers of the same make and model.
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